Sectional cabinet



Patented June 11, 1940 PATENT OFFICE SECTIONAL CABINET Ed Bergman, New York, N. Y., assignor to Art Steel Company, Inc., Bronx, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 1, 1939, Serial No. .292,96'7

7 Claims.

` vision with such cabnet sections of looking and aligning means which are adapted to be retracted within the sections so that when the lowermost section is arranged upon a flat surface such as upon a desk or floor the looking means are retracted out of the way and will not cut into or scratch the surface on which they are arranged while the bottom of thesecton rests directly and solidly on the surface. 3

The present invention further contemplates the i provision of sections having such locking means which are adapted upon arrangement of one section over the other to automatically align and lock the sections together.

The present invention further contemplates the provision of such sections and associated aligning and looking means which are simple and inexpensive in construction and which are durable in use. r n i r n Other and further uses and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and` the drawing in `connection therewith, inwhich:` i i Fig. 1 is a side elevational View, partly broke away, of a file cabinet comprised oftwo sections and illustrates a preferred `embodiment of the present invention.

Figg2 is a`fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the rear of the cabinet illustrated in Fig. 1 showing the rear` aligning and looking a means.

Fig.` 3 is a perspective view of aportion of the front of the cabinet illustrated in Fig. 1 showing `the front aligning and locking means.

Referring now to the drawing in Figurel a cabinet of two sections isillustrated,` having an upper section l0 and a lower section !2, which are each preferab1y^identical in Construction. `While I have illustratedmy invention` with two sections stacked one on top of the other, it is to be understood thatthe number of sections which i may be arranged on top of each other is unlimited.

The entire sectional cabinet may be arranged on a surface such as a desktop or a floor !4, on which the lower section |2 rests. Each section is comprised of the conventional top wall IE, bottom wall` !8, side walls :20 and rear wall 22.` Arranged to move within these wallsis the oonventional drawer 24. describe the details of Construction of the sections, for an understanding of my invention,

which may be applied to any type of file cabinet i section. v a

The walls IE, !8 and 20 may be provided with the conventional means for guiding the movement of the drawer 24 in and out of the section. An L-shaped fiange 26 is preferably Secured at the front ends of the section to the top and bottom walls IG and |8 against which the drawerr24 slides when withdrawn from the section.

While the cabinet sections heretofore described are preferably made of sheet metal,` it is to be understood, of course', that other materials may t be employed, and that the present invention is applicabl'e to wooden cabinets and cabinets made of other materials as well. i For the purpose of alignng and securing one section to another, I prefer to provide a springlike rear aligning latch 28 at the bottom of each section at the rear thereof. The rear aligning latch 28 may be made of a fiat spring-like plate of ordinary steel or spring steel, although it is preferred that ordinary cold rolled steel be em ployed. The spring-like action is obtained by making the flat portion of the latch sufficiently long so that the end thereof has a substantial lift. One end thereof is preferably bent to form a V-shaped hook 30. The rear aligning latch 20 is preferably arranged centrally of the section near the bottom thereof adjacent the rear wall 22. The rear latch 28 is Secured at the end of the flat spring portion thereof opposite the hook 30 to the bottom reenforcing plate 32 which runs across the bottom of` the section adjacent the rear thereof. The aligning latch 28 may be secured to the bottom reenforcing plate 32 by means of two spot welds 34 at the end thereof opposite the hook-like portion 30. Of course,.it is to be understood that rivets andother methods might be used` to secure said rear aligning latch to the rear reenforcing plate 32. When the rear latch is secured to the reenforcing plate, the end of the hook 30 is disposed downwardly. To accommodate the hook 30, a portion of the rear wall 22 adjacent the hook 30 is cut away It is unnecessary to to provide an opening 36 therein, and portions i of the reenforcing plate 30 and the bottom |8 adjacent said hook are cut away to provide an opening 38 which joins with the opening 36 in the rear wall.

The end of the hook 30 tends to move downwardly through the bottom opening 38 urged by the spring tension of the latch 28. I-Iowever, as

^ will be seen in Figure 1 in connection with the lower, section !2, when said section is arranged 'directly on a flat surface !4 the end of the hooklike portion 30 is pushed upwards and the hooklike portion assumes the position so that the lowermost end thereof is on a level With the bottom wall !8 of the section and the section assumes a level position thereon.

When one section is arranged on top of another, the rear latch 28 on the upper section is adapted to engage the lower section to align and lock the upper section to the lower.

For the purpose of engaging the rear latch, a rectangular slot 42 may be provided in the top of each section at the rear thereof. This rear slot 42 is formed' by cutting away a narrow portion of the top !6 of each section at the rear of said top and an adjacent narrow portion of the rear Wall at the top therof; The upper rear slot 42 is located centrally of the section and is shaped and positioned to receive therein the hook 30 of the rear latch 28 of the section c immediately above.

In'arrangingone section over another, the top section m is placed over the lower section !2 so that the rear of the top section o is a 'little bit in back of the rear of the lower section !2 and by pulling the top section forward, the ho ok 30 of the rear aligning latch 28 Will enter the upper rear slot &2 of the lower section !2 and will be hooked securely therein, thus aligning the top section with the lower section. The two sections Will be so Secured together that the top section !52 will not be able to be moved forward relative to themlower section !2.

To cooperate with the rear allgning lateh 28 in aligning and looking the sections together, a front aligning Iatch M may be provided. The front aligning l'atch' i may be made of a fiat spring-like plate of the same material as the rear aligning latch and may be also centrally located, being preferably, however, adjacent the front of the'section and secured to the front reenforcing plate it by its fiat spring-like portion ta. The front reenforcing plate i@ may be provided near the front of the cabinet running across the bottom thereof and is adapted to strengthen the structure. It is to be understood, of course, that both the front latch M and the rear latch' 28 may be Secured directly to the bottom of the cabinet instead of to their respective reenforcing plates 58 and 32. From the fiat portion ta, a flange 'or lip 55! formed at one end thereof at substantiaily right angles thereto. "The lip 5!) is adapted to enter an opening 52 formecl in the bottom se of the section and passing through the front reenforcing plat 46.

When one section is arranged on a lower section, the front 'latch i i of the upper section is adapted to engage the lower section by means of lip 5@ to align the sections and secure them fixedly together; To cooperate with the lip 59, a

the section so that the end of the lip is on a level With the bottom of the section and the bottom of the section rests directly on the flat surface.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that to arrange one section o upon the lower section !2 theupper sectionis first placed upon the lower section with the rear of the upper section projecting rearwardly of the rear` of the lower section. The upper section is then moved forward and the hook 30 of the rear aligning latch 28 enters the rear slot 42, and the lip 50 of the' front aligning latch 44 enters the cooperating front slot 54 in the top near the front of the section. The two sections are, therefore, locked together and properly aligned.

When it is desired to remove the upper section from the lower section, the lip 50 of the front latch (M is manually lifted out of the front slot 5 3 and" the upper section is moved rearwardly so as to cause' the hook fl of the rear aligning latch 23 to move' out of the re-ar` slot 42.

It is preferred that said Slots 42 and 5 5 be made rectangular in shape 'and wide, and that the latches b'e 'made of 'narrow but fairly wide rectangular plates which fit ciosely into the Slots, in orderthat the maximum amount of surface might be provided to prevent relative movement of the sections such as twisting.

It Will be understood'that eachof the sections is of the same Construction so that they `ing from the spirit of the present invention, and,

therefore, that I intend to be limited sole'ly by the state of the prior art and the scope of the appended claims. v

I claim:

1. A sectional file cabinet comprising in combination a plurality of interchangeable sections removab ly stacked one upon the other, the lowermost section adapted' to be arranged upon a support, each section having top and bottom walls, the` bottom wall of each section having an opening therein, an aligning latch comprising a flat spring` member arranged adjacent the bottom wall and an integral lip extending downwardly from the spring member and projecting through said bottom wall opening, the lip urged outwardlythrough the opening by the flat spring member, a slot in the top Wall of each section arranged to accommodate the lip' projecting ,through the 'bottom wall opening of the section stacked immediately above, the lip being urged into the slot by the flat spring member to thereby align the sections and secure them against lateral movement relative to each other, the lip of the lowermost section being urged inwardly within the section by the support upon which V may be interchangeably used in the formation of said lowermost section is arranged whereby the bottom wall of the said lowermost section rests directly on the said support. i

2. A sectional file cabinet comprising in combination a plurality of interchangeable sections removably stacked one upon the other, the lowermost section adapte'd to be 'arran'ged upon a support, each section having top and bottom walls, the bottom Wall of each section having an openingadjacent the rear thereof and an opening adjace'nt the front thereof, a rear aligning' lateh comprising a tensi on member arranged mediately above being arranged within the for-- adjacent the bottom wall and a hook exterding from the tension member and projecting through the rear bottom wall opening, the hook urged outwardly through the opening by the tension member,` a forward aligning latch comprising a tension member and a lip extending fromsaid member and projectirrg through the forward ward slot to thereby align the sections and secure `them against lateral movement relative to each other, the lip and hook of the lowermost section being urged inwardly within the section by the support upon which the said lowermost section isarranged whereby the bottom wall of the lowermost section rests directly on the support. i

3. A sectional file cabinet comprising in combination a plurality of interchangeable sections removably stacked one upon the other, the lowermost section adapted to be arranged upon a support, each section having` top and bottom walls,

` the bottom wall of each section having an open- `ing therein, an aligning latch `comprising a tension member arranged adjacent the bottom wall and a lip extending downwardly from the tension member and projecting through said bottom wall opening, the lip urged outwardly through the opening by the flat spring member, a slot in the top wall of each section arranged to accommodate the lip projecting through the bot-` tom wall opening of the section` stacked immediately above, the lip being urged into the slot by the tension member to thereby align the sections and secure them against lateral movement relative to each other, the lip of the lowermost section being urged inwardly within the section by the support upon which said lowermost section is arranged whereby the bottom wall of the lowermost section rests directly on the support.

4. A sectional file cabinet comprising in combination a plurality of interchangeable sections adapted to be removablystacked in alignment one upon the other, the lowermost section of the sectionai file cabinet adapted tobe arranged upon a support, each section having top and bottom walls, the bottom wall of each section wardly through the said opening by the flat spring member, a slot` in the top wall of each section at the rear thereof arranged to receive the hook projecting through the bottom wall i opening of the section stacked immediately above, the said hook being received in the said `slot in the top wall of the section below upon stacking the upper section upon the lower section to thereby align the sections relatively to one another, said hook cooperating with the slot to secure the sections against lateral movement relative to each other, the hook of the lowermost section being urged inwardly within the section by the support upon which it is arranged whereby the bottom wall of the lowermost section rests directly on the support.

5. An interchangeable cabinet 'section for a sectional file cabinet made up of said interchangeable sections and which are adapted to be removably arranged one on top of the other to form the sectional file cabinet, said interchangeable cabinet section having a top, bottom and rear wall, the bottom wall having an opening therein adjacent the rear wall,` said rear wall having an opening therein extending to and in communication with the opening in the said bottom` wall, an aligning latch comprising a tension member secured to the bottom wall and extend'ng through the said opening in the rear wall and a hook member extending from the tension member and projecting through the bottom wall opening, the hook urged outwardly through the said bottom wall opening by the tension member, said top wall having an opening adjacent the rear wall, said rear wall having a second opening extending into and in communication with the opening in the top wall, said top wall and second mentioned rear wall opening being in alignment with the bottom wall and first mentioned rear wall openings and of dimensions corresponding to said hook.

6. An interchangeable cabinet section for a sectional file cabinet made up of said interchangeable sections and which are adapted to be removably arranged one on top of the other to form said sectional file cabinet, said interchangeabie cabinet section having a top and a bottom wall, the bottom wall having an opening therein and an aiigning latch comprising a fiat spring member secured to the bottom wall and an integral lip extending downwardly from the spring member and projecting through said bottom wall opening, the lip urged outwardly o through the opening by the said flat spring member, `the top wall having arranged therein a slot, said siot on the top Wall being in alignment with the opening in the bottom wall and of dimensions corresponding to the said lip. o

7 An interchangeable cabinet section for a sectionai file cabinet made up of said interchangeable cabinet sections and which are adapted to be removably arranged one on top of the other to form said sectional file cabinet, said section having a top and a bottom Wall, the bottom wall having an opening adjacent the rear of the cabinet section and an opening adjacent the front of the cabinet section, a rear aligning latch ccmprising a tension member secured to the bottom wall and a hook extending from the tension member and projecting through the rear bottom wall opening, the hook urged outwardly through the said rear bottom wall opening by the tension member and a front aligning latch comprising a tension member and a lip extending from said member and projecting through the front bottom wall opening, the said lip urged outwardiy through said front bottom wall opening by the tension member, said top wall having a slot at the rear of the cabinet section in alignment with the rear bottom wall opening and of dimensione corresponding to said hook, said top wall having a second mentioned slot adjacent the front of the cabinet section and in alignment with the front bottom wall siot and of dimensions corresponding to the said lip.

* ED BERGMAN. 

